It's replaced by a field. She sees a wooden wall off to the left and some trees further in the distance to the right. And then there's text superimposed on her vision.

Welcome new user. System activation in progress. 

Error unknown magic present... attempting reformat, reformatting failed, unknown magic left unchanged.

Activation complete: personal enhancement resources available, system ui available.

Yes, she would like to view the UI.  After she makes sure she's not going to be eaten alive or something.

"Well, this is surprising."

More text unfurls across her vision.

System input mode: verbal
System output mode: visual overlay

Available views:
Personal status and enhancements

System map

Help directory

System log

Oh, no, no no, she is not going to be caught alive using a verbal interface, because then that means she'll be caught dead.

Right.  She'll get something set up like that fancy simulator someone brought back.  And then she'll read the manual.

...What does her power make of this?

The system is remarkably chatty and after a bit of back and forth the line reads

System input mode: custom

There's a faint sense of worry coming from the place she's come to associate with her power.

Well, is it something she could eventually fix?

If so...well, she's glad she's here, and not some other poor schmuck.  She's any amount prepared for something like this.

...okay, from reading fiction, but that's more than anyone else would be!  (Also she might have something that'll stand up to even this, as far as powers go.  That's a potent confidence booster.)

Anyway, she'd like the tutorial-and-or-manual now, if the system would be so kind.

The worry feels like it's about something else. Her power really wasn't intended to be a vector for the Fountain to give advice and vague feelings are stretching the limit of what's possible.

The system on the other hand is eager to provide an extremely long list of help topics with the top few highlighted.

Using system enhancement resources

Explanation of system map

World information

She'll take 'system advancement resources' first, then - and then, knowing what she can do, look into 'world information' to figure out what she should do.

...She's going to unscrew the cap of her staff to reveal the spear beneath it, though.  If the Fountain is worried, she'll be worried too.

System resources come in three categories of advancement resources: mental, physical and magical. These points can be used both as entire points or as fractions of points to alter things about those three parts of herself. Universal points can be applied to any of the three basic categories. There's also a fourth type of enhancement called a skill import which converts a mundane skill that improves with corresponding slowness into a magical effect facilitated by the system which can then be refined without limit. All four types of resources can be earned by gaining enough experience. The most common way to gain experience is through combat with other system empowered entities.

This world was integrated into the system three years ago. All areas have reached initial difficulty level targets and further escalation in difficulty levels and the corresponding dangers will mirror the progress of the world's populace. Information about the difficulty of specific areas is available through the map function.

System statistics are not available to new users.

...Excuse her, but she has Some Questions about this 'danger levels' thing.  To wit, why in the actual fuck are there area-based danger minima?

System difficulty levels reflect the approximate danger of system empowered non-sapient life and other hazard within the area. They are neither minimums nor maximums they are averages. Targets are set to ensure all users have access to adequate challenges if they seek them out. Targets are lowest near large population centers to allow for some stability in areas where users are likely to raise children.

...What, does the System mediate crafting challenges, as well?  There surely aren't that many people who all have as their dearest wish to brave danger; she has statistics about that!

Regardless, speaking of statistics: What resources does she have, system-side?

There are ways for users to store experience granting items and provide them to other users, this can sustain the progression of users who refuse combat for some reason. Combat is heavily encouraged.

2 physical points, 2 mental points, 2 magical points, 2 universal points and 1 skill import.

...Why, exactly, is combat heavily encouraged?  ...You know what, get back to her on that later, when she's not having to look over her shoulder every five seconds.  The marginal benefit of potentially convincing you that death sucks slightly faster isn't worth degraded argument quality.

...Is there a respawn mechanic?  Surely, surely there must be, if you are maximizing something-about-users.

How does she use points, anyway?  What's the experience-to-points conversion?

Users are re-instantiated with some system granted advantages diminished and injuries repaired upon bodily death. Re-instantiated users are placed at random in zones of appropriate difficulty.

Points can be be applied with user commands. Graphical interfaces and suggested usages are available. Precise requests cost fewer points but may be less comprehensive than system defaults. Experience granting items convert into points upon being consumed or absorbed.

...Okay, she still has some thoughts along the lines of 'trauma makes users less likely to challenge themselves', but, you know what, that's at least somewhat fair, even if it's really bizarre.

She would in fact like to see examples.

Physical suggestions:
Stronger bones and muscles, enhanced regeneration, improved poison resistance, improved skin durability, improved shock absorbance, increased endurance...

Mental suggestions:
Faster thinking, quicker reflexes, improved memory, improved comprehension of others emotional states, enhanced ability at recognizing danger, greater resistance to pain, greater resistance to extreme sensory input...

Magical suggestions:
Shielding between user and incoming threats, creating fireballs, creating force blasts, conjuring small amounts of water, filtering water, invisibility, enhanced mana recovery...

How much difference does a single point make?

A single point could increase physical fitness from the level of someone who occasionally exercises to the level of someone who exercises for several hours a day.

A single point could increase your current thinking speed by approximately 50%

A single point could allow you to conjure a force sufficient to shatter an unenhanced human skull three times before needing to recover mana. Baseline mana recovery would require four hours. Less intense bursts of force would use less mana.

...She emotes a side-eye at the System about that last example.  PvP zones - and players - are handled specially in most MMOs for a reason, you know.

Let's see.

...What sort of build is she aiming for, anyway?

And how could she make something that allows her to pull out power synergies in a pinch, without inherently relying on it and thus allowing the System to factor it into its calculations?

She'd really rather not die, all things considered.

Oh, hm, there's one other question she has: What determines which sort of points users get from their experience, or from conversions?

Experience rewards are based on the source. Most non-sapient life is predominantly based on physical combat and thus yields physical points. Non-sapient life with enhanced mental or magical abilities would also yield those point types. Categorized points can be converted to universal points at a rate of four to one. Universal points can be converted to skill imports at a ratio of two to one. Universal points and skill imports are rarely available from consumable items.

...Alright, then, she'd best be pretty specific with her magic requests.  She bets those points are pretty thin on the ground.

Can she preview the results of specific requests?

What happens if you kill a sapient?

Affirmative, Details on the characteristics of system suggested defaults are also available at several levels of precision.

Dead Users yield experience equivalent to the diminishment of their abilities upon re-instantiation, diminishment is an exponential function a user with three total points spent would lose no points. A user with six would lose 1. A user with 600 total points spent would lose five hundred.